This workshop will bring together anyone interested in the predictability of polar sea-ice on seasonal to inter-annual timescales. Contributions will include presentations on understanding causes of inter-annual polar climate variability, as well as idealised predictability studies, and operational forecasts. This workshop is a follow-up to the Sea Ice Prediction Workshop held in Boulder in April 2014, and forms part of PCPI's Initiative 3 on polar predictability.

Getting to Reading

The University of Reading is in a prime location in the South-East of England and has excellent transport links. Reading's railway station has high speed links to and from London Paddington, as well as regular services to and from other cities around the UK. There are direct services to and from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports. The University is close to the M4 motorway allowing easy access by car.

By Air

From London Heathrow (LHR)

You should take the RailAir coach to Reading. Coaches run frequently (every 30 minutes) and the journey to Reading station takes about 1 hour. A single ticket costs £16 (May 2015) and should be purchased from the National Express sales desk at Heathrow Central Bus Station or in advance via the RailAir website.

Coaches leave from Stands 6 to 15a at the Central Bus Station (except for Terminal 5 where they leave from Stand 9). Please check before boarding. RailAir bus stops are located within the Central Bus Station and are sign posted. For further information please call +44 (0) 1189 579425.

Directions from Terminals 1-4 to the Central Bus Station, and to the Terminal 5 Bus and Coach Station are listed below:

Terminal 1

From International arrivals follow signs for the Underground and Central Bus Station. From UK and Ireland follow signs for the Underground and Terminals 2 and 3, which direct you towards the lifts. You will then see the signs for the Underground and Central Bus Station. Use the lifts to reach the basement level.

Terminal 2

Leave the building through the doorway immediately in front of the exit from customs and follow signs for Underground and buses, which direct you towards the below-surface travelator. Alternatively, you may prefer to use the street-level access by exiting the terminal building through the revolving doors on the ground floor.

Terminal 3

Follow signs for the Underground and Central Bus Station, taking the ramp or stairs to access the below-surface subway link.

Terminal 4

Use the FREE Heathrow Express shuttle service. Travel in the carriages at the rear of the train and alight at Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Follow signs for Terminals 2 and 3 but as soon as you see signs for buses and underground follow these instead. Alternatively, you can use bus routes 482 and 490 from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5, which run up to 8 times an hour and are free to use (make sure the bus is heading towards Terminal 5 before you board).

Terminal 5

Follow signs for local buses upon leaving arrivals. If you do not already have a ticket these can be purchased from the National Express sales desk which is located inside the terminal building (turn left out of arrivals) opposite Costa Coffee. You will find Stand 9 by exiting the terminal building opposite the National Express sales desk.'

From London Gatwick (LGW)

Direct trains run to Reading from Gatwick Airport every hour and take about 1hr 15 minutes. A single ticket costs around £15 and can be purchased at the station in Gatwick airport.

By Rail

Reading is a mainline train station and is easily accessible from most other places around the UK. There are direct trains from a number of major cities as well as a large number of routes through London. If you are travelling from or via London the best (and quickest) route to take is from London's Paddington station.

Travelling from London Paddington

Trains from Paddington to Reading run approximately every 15-20 minutes throughout the day and the average journey time is around 30 minutes.

Travelling from Reading train station to the University

PLUSBUS is available in Reading. PLUSBUS is a cheap bus pass (like a travelcard) that you buy with your train ticket at any National Rail station booking office, by phone or online. It gives you unlimited bus travel around the whole urban area of the origin and/or destination town of your train journey, including to and from the rail station.

Once you arrive at the train station you can walk or cycle to either campus, please see instructions left. If you choose to take a taxi or bus, the bus stops and taxi rank can be found outside the station. A taxi will cost you approximately £8 and a single bus journey will cost you £1.90 (return £3.60. You will need the exact money as the buses do not give change).

The buses that run from the train station to the University are as follows: